Issues management and communication: Can one succeed without the other?

Issues management and communication are important activities in responding to emerging public health concerns. At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, collaboration between these two functions recently played a vital role when the agency was asked to help with environmental health testing of Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) trailers provided as temporary housing for people affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the Gulf Coast states. The issues management team identified and analyzed the health issue; ascertained its complexity, intensity, and timing; developed and coordinated the agency's response; and engaged key publics. The communication team developed health communication messages and materials and distributed them through a range of channels, including the news media. Participation by issues management staff on the communication team ensured that both groups worked in concert to support the agency's management of a serious and sensitive health issue. This presentation reviews key points in issues management; the role of issues management in developing a strategic and comprehensive communication plan; the management of a complex public health concern across multiple levels of government and among many publics; and the importance of issues management and communication in protecting an organization's reputation.